Torquay's 3 Strike Diving Policy

CHRIS OF DEATH IF YOU DIVE
By Steve Rogers
TORQUAY players have stormed away from a training session after being told they will be sacked if they dive.

New chairman Chris Roberts is facing the dressing room mutiny after warning the players that if they are found to have dived on three separate occasions they will be kicked out of the club.

Roberts, a former player, unveiled his three strikes and you're out plan yesterday and claimed: "We are making a stand on behalf of the game."

But the players are furious and believe they are being accused of being cheats. One said: "This was the chairman's first major move since taking over and it's resulted in carnage - some players even wonder whether they can sue him."


Torquay are currently 89th out of the 92 League clubs and boss Ian Atkins is being linked with the vacant manager's job at Brentford. But Roberts added: "If we - one of the poorest clubs in the League can do this - so can others.


"If we were facing relegation on the last day of the season and won a penalty which kept us up through a player diving for the third time, I'd still sack him.


"I'd sooner be in the Conference than stay up through cheating!"


Players will get a disciplinary letter and warning about further conduct after their first dive, a final warning and a maximum club fine the second time they are caught out, and on the third occasion they will be put on the transfer list or dismissed for gross breach of conduct.

Good idea that will never take off in my book. Can you imagine Ferguson booting Ronaldo out of United, or Mourinho giving Drogba his marching orders for getting caught diving 3 times? :rolleyes:

It's an interesting idea all the same though, maybe the FA could impose some sort of 3 game suspension for 3 strikes if video evidence proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you took a dive. I know it would be hard to prove some cases, but surely dives like Pires against Portsmouth, Rooney against Arsenal or Zakora's one a few weeks back should warrant some sort of punishment

I think the main problem with diving in today's game is manager's unwillingness to criticise their own players for diving. Managers and players nowadays will do whatever it takes to win. This is a refreshing development and hopefully others will follow suit.

On a further note about the problem of diving, this stems, IMO, from when players are playing schoolboy football. Because of the exposure given to football on TV kids will see their heroes diving and wish to emulate them. Also schoolboy managers encourage their players to dive, in a lot of cases. I've seen this first hand. A particular manager I once had was always telling us to dive whenever we got the chance. He even substitued me once because I refused to dive when I received the most minimal of contact.

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Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

A particular manager I once had was always telling us to dive whenever we got the chance. He even substitued me once because I refused to dive when I received the most minimal of contact.

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You sure you aren't just shyte?

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Originally Posted by Kingdom

You sure you aren't just shyte?

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Ye I'm sure.:p He even told me that was the reason! Not doing enough to win the game!

Jesus, I know Roy Keane said hes fed up with diving but this is taking it a little to far.

As honourable as it is, it will not lead to an army of Chairmen following a similar route.

Unfortunately I don't think we'll ever cut it out totally. I personally believe any F.A. should have a retro-active view on blatent dives and initiate 1 game suspensions for those found guilty. It wouldn't eradicate it but it would have a decent effect and I think it is a punishment that can appease managers and fans alike. Not too much but a punishment none the less.

I agree.Managers,chairman and fans are up in arms when an opponent dives but turn a blind eye or even encourage it when one of their own does it.The football authorities are way too lenient on this issue.They should use tv replays after games to ban players who are caught diving and that would soon sort it out but I won't hold my breath that that will happen.

if i ever see an irish player go down easy, i always shout at him "to get up to fuc k", most irish fans are not happy with the amount of times keane and duff go to ground
when i was in germany, in with all the german fans, it was very embaressing when duff did this mazy run, getting by a few players, then as soon as he got to the box, he made a terrible fall to the ground, so obvious

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Originally Posted by bennocelt

if i ever see an irish player go down easy, i always shout at him "to get up to fuc k", most irish fans are not happy with the amount of times keane and duff go to ground
when i was in germany, in with all the german fans, it was very embaressing when duff did this mazy run, getting by a few players, then as soon as he got to the box, he made a terrible fall to the ground, so obvious

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.....I must've missed that bit.

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Originally Posted by drinkfeckarse

.....I must've missed that bit.

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yeah i know what ya saying, but you know the way Duff runs, he doesnt necessarily run by them as such just goes in a big zig zag run that looks like he is doing something handy with the ball:p